Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Exploring

We stepped onto the trail. Backpack packed with bird guides, tracking guides, water and lunch. I took a deep breath, the smell was glorious..it was the smell of the woods. I closed my eyes and listened. The birds were calling, beautiful sounds I had never heard before. We took our first steps into the woods and I felt it, that sudden release and the feeling of being at home.

Our first few days here have been filled with time on the beach and time in the pool. We have walked the boardwalk, watched dolphins in the ocean and found treasures on the beach. We have been enjoying Mother Nature, but I needed the woods. And so to the woods we went.

Reece and I explored Myrtle Beach State Park yesterday and had a wonderful time. We hiked, we peeked in a ton of little fairy homes, we looked at trees and their leaves, we tried to find animal prints (much harder to do without the snow) and listened to the songs of many different birds we hadn't heard before.

We stopped by the ocean for a little picnic. It was just us, watching the waves roll in and the pelicans flying above us. It was amazing. We packed up our stuff and hand in hand headed back to the trail. We ran, we walked, we talked and we laughed. There were moments of silence broken by the call of an unknown bird. We would stop and listen, trying to find it among the trees. We would spot it and quickly see if we could find in our new guide.

It was the perfect way to spend most of our day, connecting to something we know, in a different part of the world. As we approached the end of the trail I asked him about the most favourite part of his day so far. He looked up at me and simply said...the forest.

That really is a wonderful park. Something else you might want to check out is Brookgreen Gardens. The gardens are rather structured, but the sculptures are amazing and they have some pretty cool programs.

Welcome to Mothering with Mindfulness. My name is Kim, Waldorf inspired homeschooling mama to one, writer, nature lover, dreamer, and lover of all things handmade. This is my space. A space to share with you my journey through motherhood, as I walk along the path of simple, mindful living. I invite you to join me as I learn and grow.